This Week at Interior  

Secretary Haaland joined federal, Tribal, state and community leaders this week to celebrate the acquisition of approximately 3,700 acres of land adjacent to the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico for recreational access. The Bureau of Land Management acquired the property from the Trust for Public Land, using funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. These new public lands will expand access to the national monument and the exceptional cultural and natural resources it protects, including access to a segment of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. The area is also home to critical wildlife habitat and special status species, raptors, and other wildlife, which will benefit from the action.  

Interior this week was recognized for its efforts to phase out single-use plastics across public lands and build climate resilience through public-private partnerships. Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis accepted the Presidential Federal Sustainability Award at a White House ceremony, celebrating those Interior employees who advance the initiatives. Secretary Haaland issued an order two years ago to reduce the procurement, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging with a goal of eventually phasing them out on Department-managed lands by 2032.  

Interior this week announced the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold a Central Atlantic offshore wind energy lease sale on August 14th. The areas to be auctioned could generate up to 6.3 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy and power up to 2.2 million homes. The announcement is part of the Administration’s latest actions to expand offshore wind energy opportunities and create good-paying jobs for American workers.  

Interior this week awarded $126.7 million in grant funding through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, New York and Ohio to address legacy pollution. Orphaned oil and gas wells are polluting backyards, recreation areas, and community spaces across the country, posing serious health and safety threats, and contributing to climate change. The funding for the five states is expected to address nearly 600 wells and support inventory efforts for future well-plugging operations.

Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Carmen Cantor this week led the United States-Palau bilateral economic consultations with Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. and other government officials to discuss financial and economic goals under the newly approved 2023 Compact Review Agreement. She also announced $7.1 million in Technical Assistance Program funding provided by the Office of Insular Affairs to fund a Palau census, the listing of households, street naming and home addresses, as well as improving water quality and treatment.

Interior this week announced over $620 million in funding for more than 1,900 local communities nationwide. The funds are known as PILT, or Payment in Lieu of Taxes. That's money that Interior reimburses local jurisdictions, compensating them for the non-taxable federal lands within their boundaries. PILT payments help local governments carry out vital services, everything from firefighting and police protection to public school improvements and road construction.  

Secretary Haaland and National Park Service Director Chuck Sams this week kicked off the Smithsonian’s annual Folklife Festival on the National Mall. This year, the festival convenes Indigenous artists, professional chefs, musicians and storytellers, among others, for a week-long celebration of Indigenous cultures and traditions. In her remarks, the Secretary discussed the importance of telling America’s story and Interior’s efforts to do just that through the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and its subsequent oral history project.  

And our social media Picture of the Week, the stunning pink salt flats at Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge in Puerto Rico. But why is it pink? It turns out the lagoon acquires its gorgeous color thanks to a combination of algae, bacteria, salt and water.

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That's This Week at Interior!